Network gaming ride attraction

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a ride attraction includes directing a rider to a kiosk or a mobile application on a smart phone, with the rider creating a character profile or accessing his/her previously created character profile. The rider is assigned to a ride vehicle or to a seat in a ride vehicle. The rider boards the into or onto the assigned vehicle or seat. The ride vehicle moves along a path in the ride attraction. At least one of the path, special effects, onscreen graphics and scoring may be modified according to the rider&#39;s character. A mobile application gameplay may unlock specified game features to change a ride experience

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of the application is rides in theme and amusement parks. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and equipment for providing amusement or theme park experiences.

BACKGROUND

Various amusement park rides have been created to provide passengers with unique motion and visual gaming experiences. In one example, rides have been built with multi-passenger vehicles that travel along a fixed path and allow guest to shoot at real targets in the physical environment or at virtual targets in a virtual reality space. In addition to the excitement created by the speed or change in direction of the vehicles as they move along the path, the vehicles themselves may generate special effects, e.g., sound and/or motion effects, Although a repeat rider may be familiar with the general path of the ride, the gaming aspect may create interest during second and subsequent rides.

However, regardless of such enhancements to these passenger vehicle rides, repeat riders may over time feel the ride experience is no longer interesting or exciting. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved amusement ride vehicle and system that can offer new effects and enhanced experiences.

Independently, mobile gaming has evolved to allow players to create virtual characters and upgrade them through accomplishments, in-games purchase, or other rewards. The game play evolves and is enhanced as characters grow and obtain new attributes. This allows for an ever-changing gaming environment.

SUMMARY

A networked gaming ride system combines elements of electronic gaming with elements of a theme park ride, to provide both custom gaming and custom rider experiences. The present networked gaming ride attraction uses a unique set of steps to connect a mobile gaming platform with a ride experience, allowing the gaming and ride aspects to influence each other. As riders visit the ride attraction, their mobile gaming experience may be improved via enhanced gaming features, points, or power. And conversely, as mobile garners play the game, their on-ride experience can be improved with additional features, points, or power. The combination of these gaming and ride elements creates an ever-changing ride and gaming platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ride attraction.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating operation of a network gaming ride attraction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, a ride attraction 10 has a path or track 12, with vehicles 14 movable along the track 12. Seats 16 of the vehicle are attached to a floor or seating platform 18 which optionally is supported on a motion base 26, such as a flight simulator type of motion base 26. The motion base 26 is attached to a chassis 24 typically having wheels which roll on a path or track 12, although the vehicle may optionally be suspended from an overhead track, float on water, or use other support techniques such as magnetic-levitation, hover, etc. In some designs the vehicle may be designed to carry standing riders. The path or track 12 may be indoors to provide a dark ride, or be outdoors to provide a coaster type of ride, or include elements of both, Stationary, moving or animatronic figures, scenery and creative elements 34, may be provided along the path or track 12. The path or track 12 may also pass through un-themed space 36.

The riders 101 may be provided with objects or props 38, such as magical wands, canes, gloves, etc., or fictional weapons such as ray guns, so-called phasors or similar objects, generally matching a specific storyline, such as a storyline from a movie, comic book, novel, etc. These objects 38 may be active in the sense that the ride system can detect whether a rider using the object has acquired or hit an intended target 40. The intended target may be a real fixed or moving robotic target, or a projected or virtual character or inanimate target. The objects 38 may also provide sound, vibration and/or visual effects when activated by a rider.

Turning to FIG. 2, in operation users or riders 101 access the ride system either through their smart phones (i. e, via the internet 102) or from a queue kiosk 104 while the riders are in the ride queue. From here riders have access to a user database 105 to create and modify their in-game character. Riders then board a ride vehicle 14. Once on the ride vehicle, the ride system pulls information from the user database 105 and returns results back to the same user database 105. After a rider completes the ride, the system records that the rider completed ride (i.e., adding to the rider's ride count) and also records the rider's score in the database 105. The system may then unlock features in the mobile game or other in-park rewards (such as a front-of-the-line pass, merchandise discounts, etc.). External applications 107, such as additional mobile bases, games can also access user data from the user database 105 and return information as riders increase their scores, or abilities, A pre-load kiosk 108 may be used to assign each rider to a specific seat or position in a specific ride vehicle 14. Seat assignment may optionally be performed without a pre-load kiosk, for example with the ride system providing each rider with an electronic boarding pass, or in other ways.

Each individual rider's on-ride experience may be enhanced via software. Typically the enhanced features vary depending on the storyline and installation site. For example, riders reaching a higher level of a game, or riders earning a higher score may be provided with a more powerful magic wand or weapon. Ride effects may also be changed, such as lighting effects (strobes, lasers, etc.) appearing when a rider obtains a specified point score. Similarly, other enhancements may include special effects such as fog, wind, water spray, etc. or onscreen animation and/or character actions and dialog.

The ride path, special effects, onscreen graphics, etc. may be customized or specifically made for each specific rider. This may be achieved via the riders wearing a virtual reality headset or googles. Alternatively, some of the enhancements can be more group or vehicle based (special effects for example) with others made more personal such as a result from hitting a target. A vehicle may include various quantity of riders with different character attributes, so their powers appear differently, to help distinguish each rider's gameplay from adjacent riders in the same vehicle. For example, each rider's object 38 may emit light of a specific color or character.

As used here, smart phone includes equivalent devices such as laptops, tablets, phablets, etc. Path means a physical path, such as a track, as well as a virtual path, such as an instruction set saved in a memory.

Thus, novel systems and methods have been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. A method for operating a ride attraction, comprising: directing a rider to a kiosk or a mobile application on a smart phone, with the rider creating a character profile or accessing his/her previously created character profile; assigning the rider to a vehicle or to a seat in a vehicle; boarding the rider into or onto the assigned vehicle or seat; moving the vehicle along a path in the ride attraction; and modifying at least one of the path, special effects, onscreen graphics and scoring based on the rider's character profile.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the rider's character profile is assigned and connected to the vehicle.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein mobile application gameplay unlocks specified game features to change a ride experience.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein on-ride gameplay unlocks specified features of a mobile application used by the rider.
 6. A ride attraction, comprising: a vehicle movable along a pathway; a first communication link between the vehicle and a computer controller, the computer controller having a rider's character profile stored in a memory; a second communication link between the computer controller and a rider's smart phone or a queue kiosk used by the rider; and the computer controller adapted to modify at least one of the pathway, special effects, onscreen graphics and scoring based on the rider's character profile.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The ride attraction of claim 6 wherein the first communication link provides information about a rider's actions during the ride from the ride vehicle to the computer controller, and provides instructions to the vehicle based on the rider's character profile and/or the rider's action during the ride, with the instructions influencing at least one of the pathway, special effects, onscreen graphics and scoring.
 9. The ride attraction of claim 6 wherein the second communication link provides information about the rider's character profile from rider's smart phone or a queue kiosk to the computer controller.
 10. The ride attraction of claim 9 wherein the second communication link provides assigned vehicle and/or seat information from the computer controller to the rider.
 11. A method for operating a ride attraction, comprising: receiving character profile information about a rider from a wireless appliance used by the rider, with the character profile comprising a set of data unique to the rider; storing the character profile information in a computer; assigning the rider to a vehicle or to a seat in a vehicle; boarding the rider into or onto the assigned vehicle or seat; moving the vehicle along a path in the ride attraction; and modifying images displayed to the rider as the vehicle moves along the path, based on the rider's character profile. 